Bogart asked me how the new job was going, so thought I would post an update.

The job is going great so far! I am working 3 days a week and anywhere from 2-4 hours each day. I know to some that is not many hours but for me, it is almost perfect. It still allows me enough time to keep up with the house work, laundry, grocery shopping and all the other mundane things that keep a home running. Thankfully the pay is good, so the lower hours are great. Yesterday I was told that probably by the end of next week, my "teacher" will turn over his keys and be gone. He is close by so if I need help, all I have to do is call him, which is wonderful. The most confusing thing about the job is learning the newer version of MS Excel2007. I have the 2003 version at home and there is a big difference between the two, so that is giving me a bit of frustration. But in time I will learn it!

Our garden is doing well. The tomatoes have done really great so far this year in the new area. My little grape tomatoe is in a big pot on the deck and has several tomatoes that are almost ripe. Won't be long now! Blackberry plants are full of flowers and fruit too so it looks like the harvest this year will be good too. We have shoots coming up all over the place so I told my hub that we should start digging them up and repot them in coffee cans and sell them. We'd make some extra money but not a killing but usually just give them away.

Don't know if I told everyone but we have a little bitty bunny in the yard. He is really sall and comes out in the early morning and late afternoon to eat. So far he has left the garden and my flowers alone and is eating the weeds that are in the yard. Eat-bunny-eat!!!

 graphic by http://www.glitter-graphics.com/graphics/361070

I see on the news that the Energy Bill passed this morning. According to the news the new bill will "only" add about $200.00 a year more to my utility bills. Well, I got news for Washington, my utility company is already in the process of trying to get an 18%  rate increase and a whole lot of people here in Iowa are really up in arms about it. Jobs lost has been high and utilities here are already too high. For us,  if the new increase gets approved, it will increase our bills a minimum of about $400 a year. Now mind you this does not include the additional increases that will follow from other companies we do business with, such as the phone, cable, trash, water companies and our grocery bill. So between the two we could be looking at $600 a year more!

I really wish the government would just quit messing around with my budget! We have enough problem just staying afloat without the additional expense. I know that we are in better shape than many others but we are by no means in the upper income class anymore. We make less now than we did 10 years ago! I went back to work for the extra money because I was very concerned about were the country was heading financially.

Well enough of all of that. Hope everyone is having a really great weekend! 

I think it is absolutely fabulous about the job I think the hours are perfect & learning new things helps keep the position fresh eh

The Energy Bill . . . I get a bit confused & exceptionally frustrated with these things . . . more & more energy is being used, even thou we are told to reduce with the amount of people in our country sometimes the increase . . well it is just that . . . so with them raising prices . . part of me understand but part of me . . . there are programs out there to help individuals with their bills but if they increase the bills AGAIN that increases the use of these programs that are already strapped & before you know it those programs are closed down . . . then the price of gas has gone up up up again . . . we ourselves no longer have a budget, we just try to make it through each day with

I know what you mean. Don't know where all this is going but I know we are just trying to get by each day too.

I know there is utility assistance programs, but in our area, so many people are just over the income limit and don't qualify. We still have a budget but it is getting tougher to make the $ stretch anymore too. I'm sure the good Lord will see that we have what we need!